Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-wzw2p Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-06T04:39:27.135Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

New Results on the Microstructure of Amorphous Silicon as Observed by Internal Friction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

R. S. Crandall ,
A. H. Mahan ,
E. Iwaniczko ,
K. M. Jones ,
X. Liu ,
B. E. White Jr  and
R. O. Pohl
R. S. Crandall
Affiliation:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 80401, rsc@nrel.gov
A. H. Mahan
Affiliation:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 80401, rsc@nrel.gov
E. Iwaniczko
Affiliation:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 80401, rsc@nrel.gov
K. M. Jones
Affiliation:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 80401, rsc@nrel.gov
X. Liu
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics Cornell, University, Ithaca, NY 14853–2501, Pohl@msc.cornell.edu
B. E. White Jr
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics Cornell, University, Ithaca, NY 14853–2501, Pohl@msc.cornell.edu
R. O. Pohl
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics Cornell, University, Ithaca, NY 14853–2501, Pohl@msc.cornell.edu
Get access

Abstract

We have measured the low temperature internal friction (Q−1) of amorphous silicon (a-Si) films. Electron-beam evaporation leads to the well-known temperature-independent plateau common to all amorphous solids. For hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) with about 1 at.

% H produced by hot wire chemical vapor deposition, however, the value of is over two hundred times smaller than for e-beam a-Si. This is the first observation of an amorphous solid without any significant low energy excitations. This finding offers the opportunity to study amorphous solids containing controlled densities of tunneling defects, and thus to explore their nature.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 467: Symposium A – Amorphous and Microcrystalline Silicon Technology - 1997 , 1997 , 191
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1997

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1. Zeller, R. C. and Pohl, R. O., Phys. Rev. B 4, 2029 (1971).Google Scholar
2. Berret, J. F. and Meissner, M., Z. Physik B 70, 65 (1988).Google Scholar
3. Topp, K. A. and Cahill, D. G., Z. Physik B 235, (1996).Google Scholar
4. Phillips, W. A., J. Low Temp. Phys. 7, 351 (1972).Google Scholar
5. Anderson, P. W., Halperin, B. I., and Varrna, C. M., Philos. Mag. 25, 1 (1972).Google Scholar
6. White, B. E. and Pohl, R. O., Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 4437 (1995).Google Scholar
7. Duquesne, J. Y. and Bellessa, G., Phil. Mag. B 52, 821 (1985).Google Scholar
8. Crandall, R. S., Tsuo, Y. S., Xu, Y., Manan, A. H., and Williamson, D. L., Solar Cells 30, 15 (1991).Google Scholar
9. Manan, A. H., Carapella, J., Nelson, B. P., Crandall, R. S., and Balberg, I., J. Appl. Phys. 69, 6728 (1991).Google Scholar
10. Mahan, A. H. and Williamson, D. L., in MRS Symposium Proceedings 467. Amorphous Silicon Technology-1997. San Francisco, 1997), in press.Google Scholar
11. Uhlherr, A. and Elliott, S. R., Phil Mag B 71, 611 (1995).Google Scholar
12. Wu, Y., Stephen, J. T., Han, D. X., Rutland, J. M., Crandall, R. S., and Mahan, A. H., Phys Rev Lett 77, 2049 (1996).Google Scholar
13. Liu, X., Pohl, R. O., Crandall, R. S., and Jones, K. M., in MRS Symposium Proceedings 469, Defects and Diffusion in Silicon Procssing -1997. San Francisco, 1997), in press.Google Scholar
14. Cox-Smith, I. R., Liang, H. C, and Dillon, R.O., J. Vac. Soc. Technol. A3, 674 (1985).Google Scholar
15. Williamson, D. W., Roorda, S., Chicoine, M., Tabti, R., Stolk, P. A., Acco, S., and Saris, F., Appl. Phys. Lett. 67, 226 (1996).Google Scholar
16. Mihailovich, R. E. and Parpia, J. M., Phys. Rev. Lett. 68, 3052 (1992).Google Scholar
17. Raychaudhuri, A. K. and Pohl, R. O., Solid State Commun. 44, 711 (1982).Google Scholar
18. Vanecek, M. and Mahan, A. H., J Non-Cryst Solids 190, 163 (1995).Google Scholar
19. Williamson, D. L., private communication (1997).Google Scholar
20. Phillips, W. A., Topics in Current Physics 24, (1981).Google Scholar
21. Phillips, J. C., Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids 43, 37 (1981).Google Scholar
22. Thorpe, M. F., J. Non-Cryst. Solids 57, 355 (1983).Google Scholar